Larrivée OM-10

TOP: With its quality tonewoods,
high-end appointments, and detailed
inlay work, a pre-owned Larrivée OM-
10 is a relative bargain considering
its current value of $1,600 to $2,000.
BOTTOM: The OM-10 sports rosewood
back and sides and a single-piece
mahogany neck.

Hey Zach,
I’m a big fan of Jean Larrivée and
his guitars. I used to own a Larrivée
OM-10 and sold it for $1,450 in
2002. Could you provide some history
on Larrivée and tell me what this guitar
is worth today? I feel like Larrivée
is an underappreciated luthier and I
don’t hear much about him. I’m curious
if I sold this guitar too cheaply!
Thanks,
Stan in Portland, OR

Hi Stan,
Jean Larrivée has been building for more
than 40 years and many of his instruments
feature beautiful inlay work. Like
you, many guitarists aren’t familiar with
Larrivée’s history, so before we get into the
OM-10 you sold, let’s take a moment to
recap the Canadian luthier’s journey.

Larrivée began studying classical guitar at
the age of 20, and four years into his study,
he met German classical-guitar luthier
Edgar Mönch. Larrivée began an apprenticeship
with the luthier in Toronto, and
built two guitars under Mönch’s guidance
before starting to build guitars on his own
in his home workshop.

Larrivée Guitars officially launched in
1968 and Larrivée moved into his first true
workshop in 1970, which was located above
a theater. At first, he focused exclusively on
classical guitars, but then in 1971 he built
his first steel-string. After a period of extensive
experimentation, he began introducing
his own body styles and shapes, as well as
original bracing systems and other unique
features. In 1972, Larrivée married his wife
Wendy, who designs and engraves the inlays
on many of the company’s guitars.

Larrivée Guitars grew throughout the
1970s, and by 1976, the company had
eight employees and was building between
25 and 30 guitars a month. In 1977,
Larrivée moved operations to the island
city of Victoria, British Columbia, providing
access to the wet, coastal forests of
Western Canada. Five years later, Larrivée
moved the company to the mainland of
British Columbia, right around the time
most acoustic guitar manufacturers were
going through their toughest times. But
instead of consolidating operations, Larrivée
began building solidbody electric guitars
in 1983. Production of his electric guitars
lasted through 1989, when the market had
improved enough for him to focus solely on
acoustics again.

The 1990s marked a resurgence in guitar
manufacturing and the company moved
to an 11,000 square foot factory in 1991,
where they employed 35 people and built
25 guitars a day. In 1997, Larrivée Guitars
introduced the lowest-priced model in their
lineup with the D-03, which would firmly
establish Larrivée in the acoustic guitar arena.
In 1998, they moved into another new factory
with 33,000 square feet, employing 100
people and producing 60 to 72 guitars per
day. Three years later, Larrivée opened a U.S.
factory in Southern California, just ten days
before September 11, 2001.

During the next two years, Larrivée overhauled
and streamlined their production
process, ultimately building the 03 Series
guitars in Canada and all remaining models
in the U.S. In 2005 Larrivée introduced the
Traditional Series guitars, and in 2008 the
company again ventured into the electric
realm with the RS-4 model.

Today, Larrivée is very much a family
operation. Jean, his wife Wendy, son
Matthew, and daughter Christine all work
in the California plant where they build
the company’s gloss-finish guitars. Larrivée’s
other son, John Jr., operates the plant in
Canada, which produces their satin-finished
models. The company continues to offer
several body shapes—including traditional
designs and a few of Larrivée’s own—and
several decoration levels for their models,
from simple to highly ornate.

The Larrivée OM-10, as its name
implies, has an OM-style body.
Specifications include a Canadian Sitka
spruce top, rosewood back and sides, abalone
rosette, abalone purfling, and a mahogany
neck. The OM-10 boasts other high-end
features such as the ivoroid-bound ebony
fretboard with deluxe abalone inlays, sterling
silver headstock border with mother-ofpearl
inlay, and an ebony bridge. Currently,
this guitar is worth between $1,600 and
$2,000 in excellent condition.

Considering what you sold it for and what
it is worth today, I don’t think either party
should feel cheated. Regardless of the owner,
I’d treat this guitar as a treasure. Typically,
you can’t buy guitars with such exquisite
inlays for under $5,000, which makes this
very fine flattop a relative bargain.

Zachary R. Fjestad
is author of Blue Book of
Acoustic Guitars, Blue Book
of Electric Guitars, and Blue
Book of Guitar Amplifiers.
For more information, visit
bluebookinc.com or email
Zach at guitars@bluebookinc.com.

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